Ace Johnson and the War of Erebus
by Ace Johnson
Summary: Ace is a demigod, doing the bidding of the gods, but he doesn't go to camp, no he is an assassin. Ace was just initiated when Thalia Grace shows up and he is headed for camp. Putting a new twist on your favorite stories.
1. Chapter 1

First Contract

I warmed my hands over the small fire, my back to the icy wind of northern Canada. It had been two years since I'd left home and joined the guild. You see, I'm a demigod, a son of Apollo. Unlike other demigods, there are some of us that do not go to a camp. No, we are members of a guild that handles certain problems that normal demigods don't even know about. We are the gods' assassins; wet work, infiltration, sabotage, and most infamously torture. We do the gods' dirty work, and we are very good at it, the thing that is different about us is that the gods hire us to kill other demigods, Poseidon sends us to kill Athena's kids and so on with the rivalries. This was my mission, and I couldn't mess it up. I was sent on a mission from Mars to eliminate 3 children of Athena who claimed they were the children of the true war deity, Mars didn't appreciate it so he asked the guild to help out with it. For months I had been training, working on stealth, lying, and most of all the art of the kill, I remembered those months fondly and gripped my tomahawk as I saw my targets come into view. I stamped my small fire and assessed the situation, this was a rouge group of demigods, 10 of them, and my two targets marched toward a small Inuit village, leading the others. I adjusted my white combat fatigues and sprinted down a hill toward a ledge that hung over the group, shielding them from the icy wind.

I jumped off the ledge landing with my tomahawk in the first target's head. The other target, a girl, drew a celestial bronze sword, and looked at me in horror, "Who are-" that's as far as she got before I brained her with the hammer side of my weapon. Mars had offered me a 100 dollar, 100 denarii, and 50 drachma reward for every follower I killed, so I grinned and turned toward the group and was met by an older boy charging at my with an imperial gold gladius. I caught the blade between the head and handle of my tomahawk and pulled the guy close, injecting him with hydra venom, he fell clutching his heart immediately. One of the kids bolted and I hit him in the back with my tomahawk, drawing my twin daggers, they were curved and wicked, one bronze, one gold. I killed three more before they could even draw their weapons. There were three left, a large boy with dark hair and wild eyes holding a pila, a girl clutching a battle axe and behind her a 4 year old girl with brown hair and pale skin.

The boy charged his spear leveled at my chest, I ducked under the point and stuck my dagger in his stomach, ripping it up and disemboweling him. I threw my other dagger at the girl with the battle axe, hitting her in the forehead, dropping her dead. I stood up, collected my weapons and lifted the little girl over my shoulder, we had a new recruit.

After the long plane ride and the cab ride I landed at our home base near Kansas City. I walked into the dockyard known as the guild and was greeted by a Minotaur searching our garbage, we didn't have magical boundaries around our base, but we had manpower. I threw a small, poisoned knife at the Minotaur, crumbling him to dust.

"Welcome home Ace," said a sly female voice, "I'm glad you didn't get gutted like a fish."

"So am I, is Mars here?" I asked looking to the shadows were a beautiful girl emerged, she was beautiful but in a deadly way, like if you stared too long or if you weren't an assassin, stared at all, she'd kill you. "Um, take the kid," I said handing over the little girl.

"Yeah, over there" she said rocking the little girl and pointing to an alley.

"Well done demigod, here's you're reward, 10,000 denarii, 500 drachma, and 100,000 American dollars… plus your rewards," he said handing my two flour sacks full of coins and a bundle of 100 dollar bills. He burst into flames and I was left alone with my money.

"Good first job," said the pretty girl, "You brought us a lot of money."

"Thanks, Andromeda, I appreciate it," I said walking toward the bunkhouse, I needed to sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

Full Member

Like all demigods, when I sleep, I dream. I dreamt of a flying ship sailing over New York harbor. I dreamt of a boy in Greek armor running across water engaging a 10 tall man in golden flaming armor. Then I was standing next to a river, the water swirled with garbage, broken dreams.

"One Drachma," said a man in dark robes looking at me sideways, "Oh sorry, this job just gets tedious, I didn't realize that you were an employer, you just smell of death," Charon said breathing in, "To me that is the smell of money," he cocked his head sideways, "wake up, or you'll be joining me for real," he said as I burst into consciousness.

I swung my tomahawk narrowly missing Andromeda's face. "What are you doing?" I asked sleepily.

She looked at me innocently, "Oh, I was cold and I wanted to lay with you," she said then grinned.

"Save seduction for our targets," I growled throwing my pillow, and jumping from my bed.

"Today is the day," she said excitedly. She had her assassins armor on which amplified her honey colored eyes, bronze skin, and caramel hair, she looked like a goddess.

I grinned. Today I became a true member of the guild, my first successful contract, and a lucrative one at that. I to the bathroom and washed up, when I came out my first set of assassin's armor was laid out on my bed. I slid on the silver silk tunic, from Artemis, a golden chest plate with shoulder guards, from my dad, gold gauntlets, from Mars. I received black cloak from Hades fashioned from the souls that I had killed, currently not very strong but with more kills it would become almost impenetrable. The most important piece of armor, something all guild members had in common was the white hood of Zeus, it allowed assassins to summon the power of Nike, Cratus, Bia, and Zelus, the day of the ceremony you chose which school of deception you wished to join.

I was prepared so I walked through a door into a candle lit room with the 50 assassins that were present at the compound, each with unique armor and one of the four hood colors. White was common for Nike's victory, next was dark blue for Bia's force, then blood red for Zelus's zeal and seduction techniques. But the least common only our leader's currently, for you must be chosen by him was black for Cratus's strength, it was over a broad expanse of areas, you could be strong at whatever you wished to be.

"Welcome, initiate Ace Johnson. You have successfully completed your first mission and you will become a full assassin on this day," said our leader, Blade smiling under his black hood. "Come forward and receive the mark."

I walked forward along the aisle, my fellow assassins around me, some looked grim (they always do), Andromeda gave me a wink, but most just smiled and slapped me on the back as I walked past. I reached the front and stood before Blade the 4 guardians of Zeus appeared behind our leader.

"Thank you, great guardians for joining us, will any of you claim this boy into your school?" Blade asked turning to face the gods. Nike, Bia, and Zeal all stepped forward, but then Cratus put his hand up.

"I'll vouch for this one," Cratus said his golden eyes glowing through his black hair. He waved his hand and my hood turned black, I felt strength surge through my muscles.

"Remove your left gauntlet," said Blade. I undid the straps and slid the thing off and thrust up the underside of my forearm. "By the power of Thantos, we accept you," he said and my arm exploded into searing pain, I almost blacked out but by Cratus's strength I remained standing. There was loud applause and Blade embraced me whispering "Welcome to the school of strength, training starts tomorrow."

I thanked the gods and Blade and turned to find Andromeda smiling at me under her red hood, "Let's go celebrate, thank the gods for the mist, our armor makes us look like a well-dressed couple," she said grinning.

"Well, for one, we are well-dressed, two, we aren't a couple," I said returning the grin, "but mortals see what they see."

"You know what I wanna see?" Andromeda asked leaning in close, "Some Bar-B-Que would be great, I know this place, let's go!" she said slapping me on the back and leading my out into Kansas City.


	3. Chapter 3

Date with Destiny

"Oh, you have to try these ribs!" Andromeda said, pushing a plate toward me, her mouth red with barbeque sauce.

"Nah, I'm fine with brisket but thanks," I said smiling, "You look nice tonight."

"Oh, Ace, you think this is a date, don't you," she said grinning.

I raised my eyebrows, _oh crap, _"No, no, no, no, well, wait, no," I stuttered blushing.

She smiled a little, "Ah, I am so glad you think that," she said smiling and touching my hand.

I grinned, "I guess I'm not the only one good at seduction," I laughed a little taking a bite of my sandwich. "So, what's your story?" I asked.

"Well, as you know my dad is Eros and my mom was a Russian assassin. I was born in Seattle where my mom was killed by Amazons and I was taken in by them for 12 years. I ended up killing about 10 of them and running away. I tried to join the Romans but well Eros is Greek, and I wasn't going to New York, so I ended up killing my way here," she said waving at the city with a rib. She twisted her caramel hair, "So what's _your_ story?"

I frowned, it was a difficult story to tell, "Well, my mom was an Apache knife fighter and my dad is Apollo," I said looking down at my right arm which held my SPQR tattoo. "I was confused after she died and I traveled, I was drawn to the Romans, and because Apollo is Greek and Roman I was accepted, I earned my first stripe hunting monsters in the Labyrinth," I said taking another bite.

"If you were with the Romans, why do you have the necklace?" she said pointing to a necklace that held a single bead with a blue trident on it.

"Well, like I said, I was confused, and after hunting in the labyrinth I used it to go to Camp Half-Blood," where I emerged in the middle of the woods during a game of capture the flag, I met this kid, Percy Jackson, he was an amazing swordsman, he had Heracles's old blade, what was it, Riptide? Anyways, I stayed there for the summer, but then Chiron sent me on a mission to the underworld, said I would figure out who I was, well I was down there for 5 years, didn't age at all, Hades told me I had a job to do, I came up fought in the Titan War, killing behind enemy lines, and then I came here." I said shivering at the thought of the Underworld.

"Wow, your story beats mine," Andromeda said whistling, "5 years, so your actually…"

"24, yeah," I said looking at all the people talking, eating, laughing. I thought for a second, "Do you ever wonder what it would be like?" I asked looking into Andromeda's honey colored eyes.

"What, to be 24, yeah, I imagine I would get more contracts from Bacchus in a bar," she said laughing.

I shook my head, "No, I mean to be able to live life, having more to do with life than to do with death. I mean, I know that I am made for this line of work but sometimes I wonder, what if I just stopped," I said looking across the street at the river that snaked through the city.

Now it was her turn to shake her head, "No, we can't think like that, if we think like that then we are no better than our targets," then she smiled, "but sometimes I do dream of it, just going to high school having lots of friends, dating jocks and what not, but that's what they are, just dreams," she said finishing her ribs. She looked at me sideways, "I've made a decision."

"What?" I asked

"You aren't like the others," she said smiling sweetly, her eyes twinkling, "The others are so empty, I mean you can tell what they are thinking all the time; hungry, thirsty, kill, pretty girl. But you, you are something different, you think before you speak, and you think about more than just the job at hand, you aren't an assassin," she concluded.

I scowled, "Of course I'm an assassin, I have been accepted into the school of Cratus, the greatest of the schools, no offense. Just because I think about more than killing doesn't mean I'm not an assassin," I said still scowling.

She smiled and kissed me on the cheek, "That's exactly what it means," then she stood up, left a 50 on the table and walked away, leaving me angry and confused.


	4. Chapter 4

Dealing with My Sister

After dinner I needed some air and time to think, "not an assassin," Andromeda had said, what does that even mean I said glancing at the black omega tattooed on my arm. I killed for money so therefore I was an assassin, right? Then I thought about the other guys in the guild, always shady and mysterious never sincere. Maybe I was different, then again I was the newest of the assassins, I suppose if you killed enough you would turn bad. As I passed an alley a dark sham jumped down from a fire escape tackling me to the ground and dragging me back. It wasn't a problem though, I knew who it was.

"I saw your shoulders tense, Udit," said a sweet female voice.

I flinched my real name then I grinned, "Hello Onawa, you know I go by Ace now," I said looking up at the girl's dark black hair and tan skin. I stood up and gave her a big hug, "I missed you sis, I said hearing her cry into my blond hair.

"I missed you too," she whimpered, "I need your help," she said pulling away, "I'm being chased by an Alpha," she said glancing nervously around.

I cursed, "That's why you need to join us, and then Lycaon will leave you alone?" I said looking at her, "Any trouble with Windigos?"

"No"

"Good, do you have any idea what those things can do?" I asked.

"Yeah, remember I'm your sister," she said then she shrieked looking down the alley where a human type shape was slumped over and running toward us.

I strapped me tomahawk off my leg and ran toward it, apparently the thing was more accustom to people running away because it just stopped and cocked it's head, a glorious position for my tomahawk. I jumped up grabbing the bottom rung of a ladder and did a flip landing with my feet on the ground, along with the lycan's head.

"You," a voice growled, "are a pain," the owner of the voice stepped into the alley, He had milky white skin and was wearing a ripped suit. "Now, boy, we only want the girl," he said then sniffed the air raising his eyebrows looking at Onawa, "oh, a brother, this will be a fine feast indeed, you know you can't just take the gift and leave the pack, it doesn't work that way!" the man yelled, his eyes glinting red.

"Wait you're a…" I said looking horrified at my sister.

The man smiled, revealing a set of sharp canines, "Lycan, why yes your sister wished to possess the gift," then he sneered, "but she wasn't willing to pay the price, so she will die."

"Do you know what city you're in?" I asked the wolf-man.

He scratched behind his ear and looked a little embarrassed, "Well honestly we were moving so fast I couldn't really tell, could you tell me before I gut you prematurely."

I smiled an evil smile, revealing my Omega tattoo, "Kansas City," I said.

It took a second but then horror leapt to the wolf-guy's face as he looked at my tattoo but it was too late, I threw a knife at his arm and gold ichor spilled out, "You will die assassin," he growled turning into a wolf and running away just as Andromeda and Blade arrived holding the pelts of lycans over their shoulders.

"You'll never believe what we've found!" Andromeda shouted showing the pelts then her smile faded as she looked at the girl standing next to me. She looked hurt "I kiss you and this is how you repay me!"

Blade raised his eyebrows in amusement, "Wait you kissed?"

"Shut up Blade!" Andromeda and I said at the same time. "Andromeda, this isn't what it looks like, this is my sister, Onawa."

"Wait, you have a sister?" Blade said walking toward Onawa with his "player" face on.

"I bite," Onawa said as Blade approached.

"Ooh, kinky," he said grinning.

"No, blade, she's a lycan," I said.

"Yeah, I guessed that," he said laughing.

"You are so weird Blade," Andromeda said rolling her eyes.

"Yeah, that's what those girls at the college said," he said looking at his feet.

"Binge party?" I asked.

"You know it," he said raising his hand, "Up top!"

Andromeda shook her head as we high fived, "So, why are you here?" she asked Onawa.

"Well…" she said looking at me, I nodded, "I came to join the guild, better than being hunted by Lycaon."

"Ok, great, you two walk ahead, I need to talk to Ace," Andromeda said. The two others looked at each other and snickered. "So, how are you holding up?" Andromeda asked.

"Well, honestly I thought my sister would be dead by now, but it turns out she's just a werewolf!" I said angrily.

"You're mad that she's alive?" Andromeda asked grabbing my arm.

"No, it's just that she is a lot younger than me, I missed most of her years of struggling, and when I first came back," I said my voice wavering.

"She didn't want anything to do with you. Ace that's terrible," she said giving me a hug. Her hair smelled of blood.

"Well, yeah she just wanted be a rouge, and we both know what happens to rouges eventually," I said thinking of how my blade had taken away what the gods had given, a demigod life, "we kill them, or monsters kill them."

"So, just curious, are there Apache monsters that chase you?" Andromeda asked.

"Yes and no, there are Apache monsters but they don't chase us," I said.

"How can there be?" Andromeda asked.

"Well, Hades explained it like this: monsters are created by fear, even if Typhon is in Tatarus, he will find Echidna and sire the creature that humans fear that creature then crawls out of the pit and does what it does," I said.

We arrived back at the compound and Andromeda stood there, her black white armor, looking like a night dress due to the mist, her hair perfect she smiled at me, "Don't do that Ace," she said.

"Do what?" I asked.

"Don't make me ask you out," she said seriously.

"Do it," a far off voice shouted.

"Shut up Blade," we both said then we started laughing.

"Talk to you tomorrow," I said kissing Andromeda on the cheek.


	5. Chapter 5

Defending the Turf

Sleep was no relief from the demons that haunted me in the waking hours.

"Why did you kill us?" the boy who was guarding the little girl said, "We were only protecting the little girl,"

"Why were you protecting the girl?" I asked my voice stronger than usual.

"She is the key, the key…" the boy said fading away.

My dream shifted and I was standing before twelve thrones occupied by giants. "Well look who it is!" shouted Mars in his Greek form motioning to me.

"I should end you," said Athena standing up.

"No, that will not do," said a man with a black beard, "Why do you not kneel?" Zeus said looking at Apollo as if it was his fault.

"Because, I don't fear death," I said looking at the man's bright blue eyes.

"Is that so?" Zeus said stroking his beard, "I'll let you tell him," he said to Apollo.

Apollo looked uneasy. "Well, kid good thing you aren't afraid of death, because you are going to be facing it soon, there's a troop of disbanded Titan troops, kill the monsters, but try to just capture the demigods," he said, then smiled, "and Udit, I'm proud of you."

"Ace, get up!" Andromeda yelled, "We're under attack!"

"For Kronos!" yelled a hissing voice. Andromeda drew a kuri and spun turning the snake-woman to dust.

I got up quickly and donned my armor, lastly the hood, "Where is my sister?" I asked Andromeda desperately.

"Right here," a voice growled as a wolf jumped from the bunk above me. The wolf had dark black fur and intelligent eyes, the eyes of my sister.

"Nemamiah!" I yelled looking for our blacksmith.

"What?" he yelled, "I'm a little busy," he said wading through a group of giants, smashing them with a gold headed war-hammer, "In the name of Vulcan, what in Erebus is going on here?" Nemamiah was not your typical demigod, he was bigger, far bigger, almost as big as the giants he was wading through. He had always said it was a blessing from Poseidon to give him the size and strength of a Cyclops, and I saw why he thought so now.

"Push them out of the dorm!" I yelled, he nodded and swung his hammer in a wide arch over his head upheaving the ground and pushing the monsters out the door. Andromeda, Nem, my sister, me, and a bunch of other assassins wearing full battle armor rushed out the door. The dockyard was in chaos, groups of demigods held at spear point were forced to fight, many of them tried to turn on their handlers but were killed. "We need to rescue them," I said looking at the assassins pouring out of the warehouses, many had bows and crossbows but some held swords and shields. "Bow!" I yelled, somebody handed me a bow, as a child of Apollo I could notch about 7 arrows at once. I turned toward the group of prisoner warriors and fired, taking out the handlers, releasing the kids, they turned and freed their comrades.

A boy ran toward me, "Hey, I'm Jack Holt, can we help you guys?"

"For the love of Zeus, yes!" yelled Andromeda her red hood covering her eyes.

I dropped the bow and drew two tomahawks running toward a group of Dracnae, letting out a war cry I felt strength surge into my muscles through my hood, and before long I was running threw a tornado of ash, my axes spinning so fast, that I started to glow, well not exactly glow, more like absorb the light that was all around. When I stopped the battle was still raging but there was an odd air, the air of a battle that both sides expect to win. I saw blade in a fist fight with a Cyclops, his celestial bronze knuckles turning the thing to dust, little by little.

"Shields up!" I heard somebody yell, I grabbed the shield off of a fallen demigod and hid behind it, for an entire minute arrows rained down on the dockyard, I stood and looked to a trireme on the river, the boat was waving a silver flag, we raised our own flag, a golden flag with a black omega.

The boat docked and a girl wearing biker clothes stepped off, "Hello assassins, your welcome," she said spitting on an ash pile,

"Thalia Grace!" Blade yelled, walking toward her bending to kiss her hand.

"Don't even think about it Blade," she said giving him a light uppercut making his hair stick up. "I was sent by my father, Zeus, to get a certain assassin, Ace?" she said looking around.

I removed my hood revealing my blond hair and black eyes, "Yeah?" I spoke up.

She had a panicked look on her face and she muttered something about _Jason_, "So, you're the one everybody's talking about, the one that can fit in everywhere? Well treat this like a quest, bring 2 companions," she said looking calmly at the assembly of hooded figures and ragged demigods.

"Blade and Andromeda," I said immediately, I trusted them with my life.

"Udit?" said a small voice, it was my sister.

I turned and found her standing next to Andromeda. I walked to her and gave her a hug, "Stay here, train, get initiated, stay safe, I have to go, I love you sis," I said not crying but getting close.

Thalia looked at me sympathetically, "It's always hard but we have to go, Like now," she said fidgeting with her skull bracelet.

"Where are we going?" I asked.

"Camp Half-Blood," Thalia said turning and heading to the boat.


	6. Chapter 6

Making a Stop

"I'm sorry you had to leave your sister," Thalia said after a couple of minutes of awkward silence of us sitting on opposite benches on the top deck of the ship, after the two others went to sleep, "I know what it's like," she said picking at a hole in her faded black jeans. A tiara was set upon her head and she picked at it, eventually just taking it off.

"You have a sister?" I asked, looking at the dark water and the city lights as we moved quickly North, jazz floated across the water and I tapped my foot.

"No, a brother, Jason," she said staring at me with electric blue eyes, "You kind of remind me of him, except he's not an assassin, and he's on his way to Rome currently," she said gloomily.

"When did you have to say goodbye?" I asked, fingering my golden armor and spinning my tomahawk.

"Well, about a year ago, I found out he was alive, so that was good," she said smiling for a second before it faded, "He was on a quest to rescue Hera," she said stabbing a knife into the seat next to her.

"I take it you don't like Hera?" I asked. She glared at the knife, "Oh yeah," I muttered. "So, why is he going to Rome?" I asked.

"No more questions, "she pleaded, "Chiron can answer those," she said then smiled softly which looked weird with her punk/biker clothing, "Get some sleep, we'll be stopping for supplies in the morning," she said.

I lie across the bench and fell into an abnormally dreamless sleep.

"We're here," Thalia said poking me in the arm, delivering a slight shock.

I looked up to see a short skyline, nothing like in the cities I had been to, "Where are we?" I asked sleepily, my body stiff from being in armor.

"Des Moines," she said handing me a pair of jeans and a shirt that said "Apollo's Good but I'm Better"

I went below deck and changed keeping my tomahawks in my belt loops, remembering something important I ran to the deck as fast as I could too late, the sounds of fighting were heavy in the air. There were several skeleton thin figures boarding the boats and there were two huntresses dead on the deck and more being dragged over the sides of the boat.

"I've never fought these before," she said desperately, "I don't know how to kill them," she shot one of the creatures in the eye but it just turned toward her.

"Then you've never been to Iowa, they're windigos, get some Greek fire, I'll handle this one. Decapitate and burn, spread the message," I said drawing both of my tomahawks. I ran toward the beast and jumped, catching my axe on the sail and swinging myself over the creatures head, landing on the deck behind the thing, I did a quick slice crossing the blades and cut the things head off, then kicked the head away, so it couldn't reattach itself. Thalia passed me a jar of Greek fire and I threw the windigo off the deck smashing the body with a bottle of Greek fire, watching the head on the deck shrivel as the body burned to a crisp. Soon the Des Moines River was ablaze with the bodies of windigos.

"Why'd you throw them in the river?" Thalia asked her shield Aegis around her wrist, she looked at me oddly "Are you not scared of this, she said shaking her shield. "

"No," I admitted, "It's part of our training, not to fear anything," I said stepping off the boat.

"What are you doing?" Thalia said frantically, "there could be more of them."

"There are, but they won't bother us, we've shown that we'd be more trouble than we're worth," I said wiping my tomahawks on a rag that a homeless man offered me, "Thanks Dad," I whispered, he nodded and disappeared. I needed to clear my head so I started running, I ran over cars, bus stations, and eventually rooftops, free running was a skill many demigods could unlock, only a few used it in combat, mostly children of Apollo and a few others that really tried at it. After about an hour I was standing in a field one side held a school the other, houses, I had to see somebody, a cousin.

The bell rang and kids pushed out the doors, most heading for a bus, but a few saw me and headed toward me, but as they got near they were pushed aside by some invisible force, a burly kid with short black hair and piercing red eyes walked toward me. "Neil," I said giving the kid a hug, he was my little cousin, a son of Thantos, "I heard rumors of a hit getting put out on you," I said looking him in the eyes.

"What, why do I have to leave, I have friends, and nobody would kill me," Neil said. Almost immediately a girl pulled a dagger from her backpack and lunged at Neil, but her kill was blocked by my tomahawk. She prepared to engage me but glanced at my omega and the hood that was attached to my tee shirt.

"Let's get you camp buddy," I said slapping him on the back and pushing him ahead of me.

"Thanks," he said rolling his shoulders, his back expanding a little.

"Neil," I asked my eyebrows raised.

"What, the wings," yeah those have been growing in since about 6 months ago.

Be the time we arrived back at the ship Thalia was furious, she was ranting about how I could have been killed, yada, yada, yada, and how never to do it again.

"Okay, gotcha, Thalia this is Neil, son of Thantos," I said pushing past her and going down to the sleeping quarters, free running takes some serious effort.


End file.
